Updates, advisories and surprises

(4:29 PM ET) LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Apparel retailer Men's Wearhouse Inc.
MW
said late Tuesday third-quarter net earnings were $39.9 million, or 77 cents a share, up from $25.3 million, or 47 cents a share, a year ago. Adjusted earnings in the most recent period were 79 cents a share. Total company sales came in at $584.6 million compared with $550.1 million in the year-earlier quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet Research had expected earnings of 65 cents a share on $571.4 million in revenue. Men's Wearhouse also raised its 2011 forecast for adjusted earnings, expecting $2.21 to $2.24 a share. It previously expected $2.13 to $2.20 a share. It projects 2011 total sales to rise by 13.3% to 13.4%, higher than its earlier forecast for sales to increase by 12.5% to 13.5%.

Darden shares hit by outlook

(10:11 AM ET) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Darden Restaurants
DRI, -0.31%
shares tumbled 9% to $43.18 early Tuesday after the company cut its profit and sales growth targets for its fiscal 2012 year. The stock was the biggest decliner on the S&P 500
SPX, -1.54%
Darden said it would earn 41 cents a share for its fiscal second quarter ended Nov. 27. For the fiscal 2012 year, Darden said same-store sales growth would be 2% to 3% for its Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants. It had previously projected 3% growth. Darden said its limited menu price increases and run promotions to rebuild customer visits at its struggling Olive Garden chain. Darden said earnings per share growth would be 4% to 7%, compared with its prior target 12% to 15%. Darden shares are down 7% year-to-date.

Comstock Resources spends $333 mln on oil acreage

(9:08 AM ET) NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Comstock Resources
CRK, -0.16%
said Tuesday it'll pay $332.7 million for 44,000 net acres in Reeves County, Texas. The purchase price includes oil and gas prospects in the Delaware Basin's Bone Spring and Wolfcamp shale areas. The company boosted its 2012 drilling expenditure target to $545 million, from $381 million. Looking ahead, Comstock plans to sell up to $130 million worth of properties in the coming year. Comstock expects 2011 production growth of 28% to 32%; in 2012, it's expecting growth of 13% to 17%, but with an increased oil mix.

Lowe's affirms fiscal-year earnings outlook

(7:24 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Lowe's Cos.,
LOW, -1.63%
the Mooresville, N.C., home-improvement retailer, affirmed its fiscal-year outlook. In a statement tied to a meeting with investors and analysts on Tuesday, the company said that for fiscal 2012 ending Feb. 3, it expects to earn $1.37 to $1.40 a share, including a cut of 20 cents a share for the cost of closing stores and discontinuing projects. Comparable-store sales should fall 1% while total sales for the year should rise 2% to 3%, Lowe's estimated. A survey of analysts by FactSet Research produced consensus estimates of $1.61 a share of profit on $49.83 billion of revenue. That revenue estimate indicates analysts expect a rise of about 2.1% from fiscal 2011.

3M affirms 2011 forecast; predicts 2012 growth

(7:20 AM ET) WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- 3M Co.
MMM, -1.24%
affirmed its 2011 full-year financial outlook on Tuesday and said it expects further profit growth next year. For the current year, the St. Paul, Minn. -based conglomerate said it anticipates earnings in the range of $5.85 to $5.95 a share, versus the Wall Street consensus of $5.93 a share, as compiled by FactSet Research. For 2012, 3M forecast earnings in the range of $6.25 to $6.50 a share, with sales of $30.2 billion to $31.5 billion. The Wall Street consensus was for earnings of $6.31 a share, on average, with sales of $30.59 billion. Shares of 3M had yet to trade premarket.

Veolia to speed revamp, shed €5B assets in 2 years

(4:24 AM ET) TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- Veolia Environnement,
VE, -1.03%
(FR:VIE)the Paris environmental-services provider, will speed up a restructuring and divest 5 billion euros ($6.67 billion) of assets in the next two years. In a statement tied to investor presentations on Tuesday, the company said that among other things, it would shed its regulated water operations in the U.K. and its solid-waste operations in the U.S., make its worldwide geographic presence more efficient, sharpen cost cuts, and reduce debt. The company affirmed that adjusted operating profit in 2011 would drop from 2010. And it will propose dividends of €0.7 a share for fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2012.

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